[meipo]

A friend is returning to Hong Kong after her 3-year assignment in Washington, DC. I made this small, non-fragile, easy-to-carry memento for her. Honestly, the workmanship was not so great due to lack of practice. I have not been carving much since I lost my father last fall. Those of you who chip carve, please give me your advice when you see things I can do better so I may improve. After all, I am only learning from a book and the internet. You are the only carving friends I have. Thanks.

meipo

[meipo]

Thinking of my father, maybe I will share these images with you, too. This is what I made for him and probably will not be seen by anybody again. This carving went into the casket with his body.

Both of my parents are "birds": my father's name has "Migrating Goose" in it,; my mom's has "Swallow". Although they are apart now, I hope they finally will fly towards the same direction.

Thanks for your viewing.

meipo

[kitaye]

You've done a lovely job on both of these. I'm still struggling with smooth curves and straight lines, so I am envious of your skill.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

You might want to spray the coasters with several coats of a satin polyurathane.........moisture from the glass could discolor the wood if its not sealed well....other than that, nice work

[squbrigg]

Meipo, those are wonderful ideas and carvings. I am sure that they will be much appreciated. As Hi Ho said, insure they have plenty of finish on them to protect them. The patterns are well executed and carved well.

I am sorry to hear of the loss of your father, and extend my condolances. The carving that you sent with him is a wonderful idea and I am sure that he would have appreciated it from his daughter. The loss of a parent is a difficult passage for us all, no matter what time of life it occurs.

Bob

[CarverRog]

meipo, very well exicuted cuts. You have nothing to be ashamed of those look great to me. All you need is practice, prcatice, practice. Keep up the good work!

[meipo]

Dear Friends,

Thanks for your encouragement. Also thanks to the limitation on the pixels we can have for the attachments so that the flaws do not show so clearly. I am still struggling with being caught by wood grain while making turns. It helps to not let the knife go deeper than needed and to stand up the knife at tight turns, but I still have "stuttered" cuts on the second half of an arc. Advice?

Thanks Hi Ho and Bob for the advice on finishes. I made some coasters before with not sufficient protection. They soon ended up with a lot of black streaks. This time I used Minwax WipeOn and gave it three good coats. I took the time to even use Q Tips to work it into the cuts and inside edges of the coaster holder. Hopefully, this will give the set a longer and happier life. Now that I am restarting carving again, I just need to practice, practice and practice some more. Correct, Roger?

A friend saw the carving I made for my father before the funeral. Not knowing where it was going, she asked how I was going to display it because only one side could be seen at one time. Strange enough, in my head, I always see both sides every time I think of it. The carving took me very little time to make. Basically, I was only reproducing the image I kept seeing repeatedly in my head. I had to get it out for my sanity. It also helped me express my sadness of losing my father. He was a grumpy old man. I thought grumpy old men last forever. I was wrong. I also learnt that no matter how grumpy he could be, I'd prefer to have him around. It is hard for me to accept the fact that his absence will be forever. I miss my dad. Thanks, Bob, for your sympathy.

meipo

[tucker1931]

To both you chips carvers, I must say I admire your thoughts and efforts. I'm fairly new to carving (not chip) I no nothing about chip carving but I'm not to dumb and can recognize nice work when I see it. Congrats to you both, work well done.
Cliff

[Thor]

I have enjoyed seeing the coaster set, and I'm sure it will be a gift long appreciated.
The story about your dad touched my heart. I feel for your loss. The carving you gave him for his journey seems a lovely and meaningful gift.
Thank you for showing them to us.
Thor

[Keoma]

What a beautiful set! You sure have an eye for lines!